Hiring Marlene and Kaleem was the best decision I could have made when I found out I was pregnant…read more They gave us the most incredible and loving care before, during and after our homebirth. They are insanely knowledgeable, calm, reassuring, experienced, loving....I could go on and on! I had an amazing and uncomplicated pregnancy, a powerful birth experience and a happy healthy baby girl and I know I have them to thank for that! Even my husband was thoroughly impressed with their care and he is very hard to impress!! These two wonderful midwives truly offer the best care a woman (and the whole family) could receive and they are worth so much more than what they charge. I could have had my entire birth paid for if I had seen a Dr and delivered at the hospital, but these two are worth every penny. We always felt special and never rushed at our appointments. They always made sure to tell us about all the options and helped us weigh the pros and cons of all the testing and procedures that come along with pregnancy. They always had perfect answers to my questions and their suggestions were always spot on. Everything they ever suggested that I do worked like a charm and you can really see how much they love what they do and how much they love each and every new baby! Please consider these one of a kind ladies to help you along your pregnancy journey!! You will not be disappointed

Marlene and Kaleem are amazing! They make pregnancy, labor, birth and postpartum such a great…read moreexperience. They don't make you feel like you have to do certain procedures, let you make the best decision for your family and are not judgmental about it what so ever. I feel beyond blessed to have had them be my midwives.

I was referred to MiLC by hospital staff at Sutter Davis Hospital and by another mom…read more After seeing several lactation consultants and feeling kind of confused w/ continual challenges, Bethany at MiLC helped simplify everything, bust the myths, and give me and my baby a strong direction forward. We have been comfortably and confidently nursing after just a few visits, and I will likely continue to check in as long as I am lactating. I love that they take many different insurances and have a functional home-like space. They also provide hot teas and adorable teacups. Don't hesitate to talk about postpartum mental health, birth control, return to work, bottles/pumping, or other related topics. They will help where they can and often know where to refer for various things. Bethany is very knowledgeable, direct, and supportive. I love her sense of humor. She has helped me brainstorm and problem solve for things no one else on my care team has been able to. They fill a much-needed gap and do incredible work. Also, talking with Lindsey at the front desk feels like being wrapped in a warm blanket. :) All new mamas deserve the kind of help provided at MiLC.

I received super valuable lactation support during my hour long consultation. We troubleshooted…read moresome minor problems and I gained confidence that things were going well. Definitely worth a visit, even if you are a second time mom!

Tara is simply the best! My delivery was an amazing life experience. She was attentive, gentle…read moreyet firm and made me feel as relaxed as someone can be during labor. We did almost all of my labor at home and she got me to the hospital in perfect time for the delivery. My request was to be 100% natural birth. She helped guide my pregnancy wishes to full fruition. Would I recommend her? Absolutely yes!

Tara is warm, comforting ,and knowledgeable. She is exactly the person you would want guiding you…read morethrough pregnancy and birth. Her care didn't stop after birth either , it extended far beyond that. When I was worried about my sons jaundice she accompanied me to the ER and waited with me for hours into the evening while his levels were checked. She was a true advocate for us in a place where it's easy to feel timid and pushed along. And even though his levels were fine , she taught me it was better to have peace of mind and okay to seek reassurance. I'll never forget her kindness .

Pregnancy can be a difficult and stressful time but it makes all the difference when you're cared…read morefor by an incredible, knowledgable, intelligent, and caring midwife. Home birth is so natural but it is imperative that you have a trained guide to walk with you beginning to end. Look no further than Tel and Taproot Midwifery. I was adamant that I wanted a home birth but my husband was a bit skeptical due to lack of exposure, until we began our prenatal care with Tel. Tel made us both feel immediately at ease and fully trusting in them to provide the best care possible and when it came time to welcome our baby into the world, Tel was the best person to do that with. I always felt heard and my concerns were always taken seriously. I also learned so much about my baby's development along the way. My entire pregnancy journey was made better by Tel and the Taproot staff. If you are interested in a home birth then I can't recommend Taproot Midwifery enough.

In the same way that beer makes you feel the way you ought to without a beer, Tel and Amy make…read morepregnancy feel the way it ought to whether birthing at home or in the hospital. As a 32 year old, new mama-to-be, I was very anxious about the road on which my body and mind were headed. My menstrual cramps had been brutal growing up and i equated that with having a low threshold for pain. So when I learned I was pregnant, I convinced myself that the only way I was going to get my baby out was through a self-elected cesarean, or an epidural paired with a cocktail at the very least. It wasn't until the end of my first trimester when my perspective had shifted. Propelled by my dissatisfaction with Kaiser's service, I sought out alternatives to my prenatal care. I remembered my colleague's home birth story which inspired bodily integrity and local midwifery services. Skeptical that the home birth approach was right for me, I scheduled a consultation with Taproot anyway. The consultation with Tel and Amy did more than just answer the 50 questions I had prepared beforehand. It quieted the worries racing in my head regarding patient and care provider relational dynamics on top of common pregnancy-related anxieties. While we covered many topics in the hour-long consultation, I'd like to highlight what resonated with me the most: 1. When I asked about the types of labor pain management techniques they offer, they said that a home birth itself is pain management. I wasn't sold on this response initially. With each subsequent week, however, I realized all the little things about my home that make me feel the safest and most comfortable: my bed, the cleanliness, the power to decide who enters my personal space. Ultimately, this is what put my body, mind and soul at ease during labor. 2. They believe in the power of "no" and always asked for my consent before touching any part of my body or my baby's body. This experience was unexpected but much appreciated especially as an adult survivor of child abuse. Being poked and prodded by medical providers without verbal consent is so normalized nowadays. My time with Taproot has taught me to be a stronger advocate for myself and that I have complete autonomy over my body. 3. Another thing that resonated with me was that they valued our time together. Each prenatal and postpartum appointment was scheduled to be an hour long. If i came with a list of questions, they took the time to carefully answer each one. On days i wasn't so inquisitive, they educated me and my husband about all things pregnancy and gave us practical resources to help mentally and physically prepare for labor and postpartum. If you feel drawn to some of the experiences I mentioned or are considering going the home birth route, it wouldn't hurt to schedule a free consultation with Tel and Amy. I don't know for sure what the rest of my pregnancy journey would've looked like had i remained in Kaiser's care. But i do know that my prenatal care team- Tel, Amy and my husband, was truly a dream team that empowered and supported me from pregnancy to postpartum.

What a great birth experience with Napa Valley Midwives. Originally we hired Heather as our doula…read morefor our second baby. Once Covid hit we decided to change course and have a home birth. From the very beginning Heather and Kristina were so engaged with me and my pregnancy. It was the complete opposite of my OBGYN who changed all my appointments to be virtual and even forgot to schedule a few. Heather and Kristina saw me in their office and in my home following all the best practices during the pandemic. I felt safe every time I saw them. I really enjoyed the fact that they rotated which one of the saw me each appointment so that I could develop a relationship with each of them. By the time I went into labor I felt so comfortable with both of them. I believe this made the birth experience just that much better. During my labor and delivery, they were so professional but also felt like close friends since we had developed a great relationship and they truly care about their mamas. Once I delivered my baby, they gave us time to bond as a new family. While we did this they busily cleaned up. It was so impressive- you'd never know a birth had taken place in my house (haha). If you're considering a home birth, you'll be in loving and supportive hands with these two fabulous midwives.

I am not one to write yelp reviews, however, the care we received from Kristina and Heather was so…read moreegregious that I am scared for other women and feel an obligation to write about it. Our care with these midwives ended when I was 37 weeks pregnant and on day 5 of contractions. These contractions were not "real" labor contractions but rather contractions brought on by drinking large quantities of red raspberry leaf tea. They prescribed this to me because they said my son was too big and needed to be induced 2 weeks before his due date (this was later proven to be incorrect, as my son was born 11 days after his due date at a normal size and weight). During this bout of fake contractions, they registered a high blood pressure reading and told me that they feared for my life and needed to take me to the hospital or call 911 and have me removed from my home in an ambulance. I knew my high blood pressure reading happened as a result of feeling stressed out by the midwives and ultimately unsafe in their presence. They seemed to have little knowledge of white coat syndrome (a common occurrence where people have higher stress levels in the presence of a medical professional). I decided to fire them on the spot and switch my care to another midwife. Thank goodness I made this decision, otherwise I would have had a traumatic, premature hospital birth for no good reason. There were several signs along the way that Heather and Krisitina were incompetent. They made several incorrect diagnoses which were later proven incorrect by an MD at the hospital who said I was "a healthy pregnant woman ready for a homebirth." Misdiagnosis: Gestational diabetes: They put me on a very restrictive diet which caused me a lot of stress. When I raised concerns about the validity of at-home diabetes testing, Heather said she still thought it was in the ball-park. My health really suffered because of following their weird diabetes diet (I was encouraged to eat large amounts of meat, even in the middle of the night--this was the worst!) They told me they feared my son was too big and needed to be induced. This put enormous stress on me in the later phases of pregnancy and was completely inaccurate. My son was born at a totally average weight less than 8 pounds even 11 days after his due date. Another misdiagnosis! GBS. After my own research about this, I decided against antibiotic use. They went along with this, but encouraged a very expensive regime of supplements and consistently encouraged me to have antibiotics during the birth. Heather admitted to my mother that she herself had GBS and refused antibiotics in the birth of her own child. Hypocrisy?! They misdiagnosed me with a fever. Thankfully my mother was there and suggested it was warm in the house because of the heating (In December). When I went outside, my temperature was totally normal. Lack of Professionalism: They were late to most appointments. Kristina was 45 minutes late to one appointment. One time, Heather completely forgot an appointment and never showed up. She never even followed up with me to apologize, and I had to reach out to her to schedule the next appointment. They frequently did not have the right supplies for tests I needed to take, were missing batteries for their devices, and they only gave us the birth supply list at 37 weeks, when the baby could already have been born! As a first time parent this was very unsettling! Poor Communication: They didn't tell me which provider from their team would be at my birth, which was very unsettling. Then they set up an appointment with a colleague of theirs who gave me totally different suggestions about how to manage my "gestational diabetes," and at the next appointment Heather said I wasn't doing what I was supposed to do even though I was following her colleague's recommendations. Lack of Emotional Attunement. Both of these midwives acted from a place of extreme fear, rather than actually being able to see the person in front of them. They both never checked in with my husband and barely acknowledged his presence in our appointments. They asked questions in a style that felt more interrogatory rather than helpful/understanding. We left every appointment in fear, which was the last thing we wanted to feel approaching the birth! In addition to all of the grievances listed above, when we reached out to them to let them know that we had a healthy home birth and requested a refund for the fees we paid them, their response displayed a lack of compassion and accountability. They only gave us a 25% refund and never even congratulated us on the healthy home birth of our son, which was supposed to be their number one priority! I think their lack of professionalism, incompetence and lack of knowledge is evident with the numerous examples above. If you want to have a safe home birth and get good quality care, I would highly recommend choosing more experienced midwives.

I didn't have a good birthing experience at Kaiser - I went into Kaiser with full intention of…read moreepidural but Kaiser didn't believe I was advancing fast and they asked me to wait until it was too late for epidural; what's worse was they didn't wait for my planceta to come out so they manually removed my planceta without any pain meds. Painful isn't enough to describe the experience. Pregnant with my second son, I didn't want to repeat the experience. Knowing I am likely birth fast again, I wanted to go without pain meds again, with as much help I can get, and natural birth of the planceta. I reached out to Tashina pretty late in my pregnancy. Knowing my situation, she responded to my email right away and managed to squeeze me into her schedule. She did a very thorough interview with me and my husband, fully understood what experience we are looking for and made amazing recommendations. She recommended me with a hospital I wasn't aware of that has great staff and with midwifery care. Since I was late stage pregnant (32+weeks), she pulled all her strings to help the new hospital accept me as a patient. And all the way up until the delivery date, she was only one text/call away for any questions I had. The birth was still painful, but with the midwifery care, Tashina's preparation with me and my husband, the hot tub setup, and her being there as my advocate, the birth was quick, smooth, and no manual extraction of placenta! My second son was almost 8lbs and no tear or stitches. Even weeks after birth, Tashina came visit and always checked in with me to help me with breastfeeding issues, baby colic issues etc. Tashina is so knowledgeable, caring and loving. We will always appreciate her help and she will always be a special person in my second sons life!

I'm convinced that fate brought Tashina into my life so I could have a beautiful, natural, and…read moreconfident first birth. Other than her deep knowledge of pregnancy, birth, and postpartum, there is something extra special about Tashina and the calm presence she brings into your pre and post birth space. She not once shied away or avoided any of my questions or expectations for my birth and was so understanding of my boundaries around specific things. I felt absolutely safe and held by her to surrender to birth completely. Moreover, she helped my husband feel confident in supporting me in a natural birth too. All I can hope for is to have her at any of my future births as well! :) Thank you Tashina!

I feel incredibly lucky to have had Shalin as my doula for the birth of my second child! Shalin is…read moresuch a warm, caring, and genuine person. As a doula, she is extremely capable, professional, and supportive. When I first connected with Shalin via videochat for a consultation, she instantly made me feel comfortable. I decided to go with Shalin based on how experienced and knowledgeable she seemed, as well as how comprehensive her doula services package was. Over the course of my pregnancy, Shalin visited my house several times to educate my husband and me about the birthing process, evidence-based approaches to birth, and different ways to prepare my body for birth, and to go over my birth plan. The whole process made me feel really prepared for the birth and gave me a greater understanding of what I wanted for the birth. I also appreciated that I got to know Shalin more during the pregnancy so that she didn't feel like a stranger at all. In fact, she is so warm and friendly that she felt more like a friend! She didn't push any particular views on me but wanted me to feel supported in my birth preferences.  When I went into early labor, Shalin was very responsive and kept checking in on me to see how labor was progressing, and when we decided to go to the hospital, she was super quick to meet us there. She was prepared in every way and set up lights and candles for the room. The hospital room was a vibe and very peaceful! Since I gave birth in a hospital setting, it was also important to me to have someone who could help advocate for me. When my hospital care team asked me to do certain things, Shalin checked in with me to see if I wanted to proceed with what they were asking. During the labor, she suggested different laboring positions and did counterpressure and other comfort measures, which helped me tremendously in coping with the pain. With Shalin's help and support, all my birth preferences were met! I had such a positive, empowering labor - something I never would have thought possible after my first delivery experience (without a doula).  I loved having Shalin as my doula and I highly recommend her! I can't stress enough how having her as my doula made such a difference to my second delivery experience. I am so happy with how everything went and really couldn't have done it without Shalin!

When I wrote this last time I was the supporting non-birthing parent. Thankfully just got the…read morechance to work with Shalin from the other side with the birth of our newest little one!! As always Shalin is the most incredible, compassionate, kind, resourceful, and caring doula. My full updated review is here below! :) https://yelp.to/Xwqw8UCKBk

If you're in the market for a best in class midwife to assist with your home birth, I highly…read morerecommend Christie from Cambridge Midwifery Care. Christie did such an excellent job caring for me and my family from the first time we came to her clinic through pregnancy and birth and well beyond the postpartum period. Not only did Christie bring a deep knowledge of traditional midwifery care, but also her expertise around nutrition and the natural holistic approach of her practice were what made such a big difference for me in this pregnancy. The prenatal visits were detailed, personal and every discomfort I experienced was met with a suggestion on how to provide relief rather than it being dismissed as another pregnancy symptom. Along the way, Christie made sure to provide options and education for her treatment so I could make the best decision for me and my family. I couldn't have asked for a more positive and empowering home birth experience. Whether it's your first or fourth pregnancy, every woman should have the blessing to experience a natural childbirth and with the support of Christie I was able to do that in the most beautiful way, from the comfort of our home.

Christie was a wonderful presence during our prenatal appointments and home birth. She always had a…read morecalm and comforting demeanor that made us feel we were in good hands. Christie was one of three midwives that attended our birth. She woke our oldest daughter after our baby was born and led her into the room to meet her sister. My oldest still recalls this happy memory and felt very comfortable with Christie. She also allowed our daughter to help with the care of baby and mom after the birth, explaining things and giving her attention. We will always be grateful for her kindness, knowledge and care during the best experience of our lives. Much love and gratitude from the Cole family.

Madeliene is pretty much the Michael Jordan of midwives. Don't even bother interviewing anyone…read moreelse. You want this unicorn of a woman shedding her magical calming energy all over you. Things that I loved: -She came to my home for every prenatal appointment excluding the interview. -She speaks kind and encouraging words to children and sometimes found ways to involve them in the checkup. -She always asks for permission before touching you unlike some other healthcare "professionals" I've been in contact with. -She is knowledgeable and if there's something she's unsure of, she isn't too prideful to say "let me find out for you", which makes me trust her. -She is genuine when she asks how you're feeling, it's not all business. You really feel "seen" by her. -She took all of my concerns seriously unlike all three of the obstetricians I saw in my first pregnancy. There's a lot more, but I obviously have a baby to take care of so I'm going to stop there. My home birth was beautiful and I'm so grateful for Madeliene's support.

Wow, Maddy is a Jedi elder! Despite complications and changes beyond anyone's control, my wife and…read moreI felt enfolded within the embrace of complete care from our first visit through delivery and the longer than expected envelope of post natal home visits. Maddy is phenomenally wise, astute, thorough, experienced, prudent, flexible, respectful, and competent in ways that left us experiencing continuous confidence and gratitude that we had chosen her for this all important role. Thank you Maddy! I could not recommend her more highly...

After 2 traumatic hospital births, I made it my mission to have a home birth, so choosing the right…read moremidwife was incredibly important. From our initial interview, Ariana immediately calmed my concerns and made me feel safe, supported, and confident in my decision. Throughout my pregnancy, she was professional, knowledgeable, calm, and genuinely kind. During my water birth, she advocated for me beautifully and handled family dynamics like a true professional so I could stay focused and supported during labor. The Doula was key in easing my contractions. She also recommended an amazing pre- and postpartum doula and gave me wonderful postpartum care and healing recommendations that truly helped my recovery. I'm so grateful for Ariana and cannot recommend her enough to anyone considering midwifery care. This is the personal care I wanted and beyond! Invest in yourself on your own terms and share a memory for you and your family for a lifetime!

I found Ariana online after having moved back to the area after 10 years, and having her serve as…read moremy midwife was the single greatest decision I made during my pregnancy. For my first birth in another state five years prior, I was under the care of midwives at a birthing center but was transferred last minute to hospital for an induction at 42 weeks. This birth at ~40 weeks with Ariana was at home, and without a doubt, this is what I would choose again in a heartbeat for any future pregnancies. From the very start, Ariana presented herself with exquisite professionalism and a real tangible warmth and compassion and that impression only grew stronger during my care. During all of my prenatal appointments, Ariana listened closely to my concerns and was able to readily recommend real solutions for the various symptoms I was feeling; her vast knowledge base and network of contacts in the birthing sphere and her steadiness and compassion always left me feeling encouraged and lighter after our checkups. She is ready with tried and true holistic and medical protocols for seemingly every scenario, checklists and resources to guide you through preparing for a home birth, and has contacts to refer you to for chiropractic care, bodywork, pelvic floor therapy, counseling, and more etc should you desire it (without ever pushing anything). On baby's birthday, I was feeling discouraged in my labor as my anatomy seems to predispose my babies to be positioned posterior, despite best preventative efforts. When Ariana arrived, the tone in the room immediately became lighter; she saw me through a particularly challenging contraction, and then with an encouraging smile and a "mama we got this" attitude presented some solid options to help me progress. Throughout the labor, Ariana's presence always made us feel secure and safe. Baby was stubbornly born sunny side up, but healthy and well, and I had no tearing, thanks to Ariana's incredible guidance and coaching. Afterwards, I was able to relish skin to skin time with my baby, while Ariana cared for us, cleaned everything, started wash, made me a snack, helped me shower and tucked us back into bed after a long night. My postpartum recovery experience this time was a night and day difference - emotionally, mentally and physically - it was all so much easier thanks to Ariana's care and her postpartum visits. Her steady spirit, her dedication to her patients, and her excellence in her craft is unmatched - she is born to do this.